The Federal Emergency Management Agency has cut off hazard mitigation grants and assistance to Indiana because the city of Kokomo, Ind., has refused to stop building a baseball stadium in a flood zone, according to a RTV6 Indianapolis report.
FEMA will withhold funding on $5.5 million worth of projects such as building tornado safe rooms in schools. It could force delays on other projects if Kokomo doesn’t comply with FEMA’s order to build the stadium elsewhere.
Some $50 million in hazard mitigation funded projects already committed to the state won't be affected. The state remains eligible for future disaster grants and the National Flood Insurance Program.
Kokomo officials say the federal government is overreaching its authority and that the stadium is the centerpiece of nearly $40 million in investments, job creation, and economic development. They contend that the project is compliant with deed restrictions placed on the 70 parcels involved in the project.
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